Strigoi Vampire
The Strigoi are thought to be the oldest vampires in existence. While this cannot be proven, they are definitely ancient creatures, with reports of them existing during the Three Kingdoms era of Ire even prior to the rise of Hexen's army. They are monstrous and bestial to the point that other vampires usually fear them or are repulsed by them. They are incredibly powerful individuals but lack the more refined and charming aspects that most vampires have. Known also as ghoul kings, the strigoi have similarities to ghouls and often command groups of them as servants, sometimes even whole armies. Their forms are hideous and monstrous, inciting fear in all those who look upon them. Their skin is taut and leathery, their faces are horrors with sharp teeth and pointed ears, their hands end in vicious claw they use to rip through their pray, and their legs reform to be digitigrade. The strigoi looks much like the nosferatu and also has some similar abilities. This has lead some to believe the nosferatu is an offshoot of the strigoi strain of vampirism. Creating a Strigoi Vampire "Strigoi Vampire" is an acquired template that can be added to any living creature with 5 or more Hit Dice (referred to hereafter as the base creature). Most Strigoi Vampires were once humanoids, fey, or monstrous humanoids. CR: Same as base creature + 2. Alignment: Any evil. Type: The creature's type changes to undead (augmented). Do not recalculate class Hit Dice, BAB, or saves. Senses: A Strigoi gains darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, and scent. Armor Class: Natural armor improves by +8. Hit Dice: Change all racial Hit Dice to d8s. Class Hit Dice are unaffected. Unlike most undead, Strigoi use their Strength modifier to determine bonus hit points (instead of Constitution). Defensive Abilities: A Strigoi gains channel resistance of +4, DR 10/magic and obsidian, and resistance 10 to cold, electricity, and sonic, in addition to all of the defensive abilities granted by the undead type. A Strigoi gains fast healing 5. If reduced to 0 hit points in combat, a Strigoi assumes its swarm form (see below) and attempts to escape. It must reach its coffin home within 2 hours or be utterly destroyed. (It can normally travel up to 10 miles in 2 hours.) Additional damage dealt to a Strigoi forced into swarm form has no effect. Once at rest, the Strigoi is helpless. It regains 1 hit point after 1 hour, then is no longer helpless and resumes healing at the rate of 5 hit points per round. Weaknesses: A strigoi can’t tolerate the strong odor of garlic, and won’t enter an area laced with it. Similarly, it recoils from mirrors or strongly presented holy symbols. These things don’t harm the strigoi—they merely keep it at bay. A recoiling strigoi must stay at least 5 feet away from the mirror or holy symbol and can’t touch or make melee attacks against that creature. Holding a strigoi at bay takes a standard action. After 1 round, a strigoi can overcome its revulsion of the object and function normally each round it succeeds at a DC 25 Will save. A strigoi cannot enter a private home or dwelling unless invited in by someone with the authority to do so. Reducing a strigoi's hit points to 0 incapacitates it but doesn’t always destroy it (see fast healing). However, certain attacks can slay strigoi. Exposing any strigoi to direct sunlight staggers it on the first round of exposure and destroys it utterly on the second consecutive round of exposure if it does not escape. Each round of immersion in running water deals an amount of damage to a nosferatu equal to one-third of its full normal hit points—a strigoi reduced to 0 hit points in this manner is destroyed. Driving a wooden stake through a helpless strigoi's heart instantly slays it (this is a full-round action). However, it returns to life if the stake is removed, unless its head is also severed and anointed with holy water. Speed: '''Strigoi are unnaturally fast, even for vampires. Increase the creature's base speed by +20 ft. If the base creature has a swim speed, the strigoi is not harmed by running water. '''Melee: A strigoi gains two claw attacks and one bite attack if the base creature didn't have them. Damage for the claws depends on the strigoi's size. A medium strigoi deals 1d8 damage with its claw and 1d6 plus disease with its bite attack. Special Attacks: 'A strigoi gains several special attacks. Save DCs are equal to 10 + 1/2 strigoi's HD + strigoi's Strength modifier unless otherwise noted. *'Create Spawn: A strigoi can create spawn out of those it slays with strigoi fever, provided that the slain creature is of the same creature type as the vampire's base creature type. The victim rises from death as a strigoi spawn in 1d4 days. This strigoi is under the command of the strigoi that created it, and remains enslaved until its master's destruction. A strigoi may have enslaved spawn totaling no more than twice its own Hit Dice; any spawn it creates that would exceed this limit become free-willed undead. A strigoi may free an enslaved spawn in order to enslave a new spawn, but once freed, a strigoi or strigoi spawn cannot be enslaved again. * Horrifying Appearance: A strigoi is a terrifying sight to behold. All creatures within a 30 ft radius that see a strigoi must make a Will save or be paralyzed by fear for 1d4 rounds. If the save is successful, or the paralysis wears off, the creature is shaken as long as it remains within the aura. Whether or not the save is successful, that creature cannot be affected again by the same strigoi's horrifying appearance for 24 hours. This is a paralysis and a mind-affecting fear affect. Special Qualities: A strigoi gains several special abilities. Save DCs are equal to 10 + 1/2 strigoi's HD + strigoi's Strength modifier unless otherwise noted. * Command Ghouls: The strigoi's command over ghouls is absolute. They gain the ability to command ghouls as per the Command Undead feat, but may only use it to command ghouls. They can use it a number of times per day equal to 3 + 1/2 the strigoi's hit dice. Unlike normal command undead, the DC of this ability is based on the strigoi's Strength modifier. If the strigoi has the Command Undead feat from other means, such as taking the feat, this ability acts separately from that. * Consume: Unlike other vampires, a strigoi must consume the corpse of dead living creature. The strigoi heals 5 hit points per hit dice of creatures it consumes once it has finished eating the corpse. It takes 10 minutes to fully consume a creature the same size as the strigoi. Each size category lower reduce the time by half. For each size category higher, increase the time by four times. A strigoi must consume at least one dice per night of creatures in order to stave off hunger. If a strigoi consumes enough hit dice to equal twice his hit dice within a 24 hour period, it gains the following benefits for 24 hours: Str +4, Dex +4, Cha -8, doubles his DR, and doubles his racial bonuses to skill checks. * Enrage: If the strigoi's hit points drop below half its maximum, it enters a special rage. The strigoi gains a +8 morale bonus to Strength and Dexterity and a -2 penalty to AC. The strigoi always attacks the nearest living creature. If there are no threats nearby, the strigoi consumes the body of the nearest dead creature. This lasts until the strigoi's hit points rise above half. * Raise Ghouls: The strigoi's command of ghouls extends to the ability to create them. They may pull the dead from the ground beneath them. As a full round action, they may summon 2d4 ghouls out of the ground. This ability can be used a number of time per day equal to 3 + the strigoi's Charisma modifier. If done in a cemetery, the number of ghouls' raised is maximized. This is a necromancy effect, not a conjuration, as the ghouls come from ancient burials and the dead in the area, and not via summoning. * Spider Climb: A strigoi can climb sheer surfaces as though under the effects of a spider climb spell. * Strigoi Fever: A strigoi's bite delivers a deadly disease that can change one into a strigoi. This disease has an onset time of 1 day, frequency of 1/day, and does 1d3 Con and 1d3 Dex damage, requiring 2 consecutive Fortitude saves to cure. A creature who dies of strigoi fever rises as a strigoi as described in Create Spawn. * Swarm Form: '''As a standard action, a strigoi can change into a bat swarm, centipede swarm, rat swarm, or spider swarm. The strigoi gains the natural weapons and extraordinary special attacks of the swarm it has transformed into The swarm has the same number of hit points as the strigoi. While in the swarm form, a strigoi can't use its claw attacks or any of its special attacks. It retains the defensive abilities, weaknesses, and special qualities it gains from being a strigoi, counts as an undead creature, and can use any of the swarm's abilities and defenses. It can remain in swarm from until it assumes another form or until the next sunrise. * '''Unwieldy Claws: The strigoi's claws are long and sharp, so long, in fact, that it makes using items made for other creatures more difficult. When weilding a manufactured weapon, or attempting a delicate skill (such as disabled device) the strigoi recieves a -4 penalty on attack rolls and such skill checks. Ability Scores: Str +8, Dex +4, Int +2, Wis +2, Cha -2 Skills: A strigoi gains a +8 racial bonus on Acrobatics checks to jump, Perception, Sense Motive and Stealth checks. Feats: A strigoi gains Alertness, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, and Toughness as bonus feats.